Project 2: The “we need a state coalition to make great things happen” project

If all the players work together in a county, through collaboration and the strategic use of data and technology, we find a way to ensure that no child, youth, parent or grandparent lacks access to care. We are not trying to simplify our nation’s and the state’s most complex challenges in a sentence. We are advocating for the start of long local dialogue about how we end behavioral health disparities. This is a conversation that’s been going on for decades involving the public and private sector. This particular project is about joining or creating a countywide and statewide network of health advocates and providers who believe that behavioral health care is a survival service and what cost-effective, far-sighted and civilized governments ensure. A coalition will allow you to have a strong voice in your community as well as your city, county and state government. You may find that local lawmakers, while sympathetic of issues, do not see addressing behavioral health disparities as the role of county or city government. For this reason, coalitions matter and they can be a force for awareness.

Your county and state network can educate local lawmakers about a new role for government: ensuring no child, student or parent is marginalized because they can’t afford care. This coalition can work to elect officials who will prioritize access to care for all, using technology to connect everyone in the network with a shared vision, common goals, shared activities, data-use, communication and messaging, and evaluation processes. Your action teams starts with identifying who is in the lead with behavioral health care reform.